The History of the Scottish Clan System - and Its Demise

*The Chieftains were the heads of the houses into which the clan was divided, and the oldest cadet (son) was usually termed the Toiseach, next to the Chief he enjoyed the highest dignity in the clan, and the post of honour in time of war. In the absence of the Chief he commanded the whole clan. He was usually a son. Iit makes you wonder at the oath the Chief took, (above), which he could not possibly make come true if the King of Scotland gave clan lands away; gave it to a neighboring clan on a whim; or a payback for some deed. Later, that left the Chief under an uncaring landlord given the land by the King, a landlord who extracted his rent or fealty but did nothing for the furtherance of the Clans, which seems to be the theme after Malcolm Ceanmore married the English (Saxon) King's daughter, Margaret. Then most of the lands were taken away from the clans and became a feudal system, whereupon the King, the (new owner the land), gave it away as a gift or on a whim to a favorite here and there; seemingly not knowing or caring what would happen to his people, or clans, sitting on this land; nor caring what would happen to the clan at the whim of the new landowners. Does this smack of a reminder, of what some of the Scottish Lords and Norman Lords did, when given land that belonged to the clans or to another Noble? Demanding of the clans, but giving nothing in return? This seems to have begun, when Malcolm Ceanmore married Margaret, of the English King's daughter, who brought her customs, her court, courtly behaviour, her Roman Catholic religion and all the English traditions to Scotland? and enforced her ideas, next to her seemingly weak, (he loved the English feudalism) Scottish King? Where did this leave his people? No King to protect them; their land grabbed up and given away; while the clans broke into small clans and fought for survival? Does this explain, in part, the feuds in Scotland, mostly over land and trritory they had owned? Does this smack of destruction from within, by the King and Queen? or just an uncaring King and Queen, who saw nothing wrong with giving away the clan's land? --- after all, under the feudal system the King claimed the land and Malcom Ceanmore had decided that it was his to give. Margaret's Roman Catholic religion, was replacing the Irish Catholic of Culdee, the Catholic Religion, to which most clans had converted. Therefore they could not receive the solace of their religion, from Rome, either.

This is a very close reminder of what the United States did to the Indian Nations, taking their lands, moving them to less desirable land - over. and over, and over again, until they starved, died of disease, or fought for their rightful land? Well,.... they didn't win, and neither did the Scot Highlanders. Both put up a valiant effort, both could only meet defeat, at the hands of a richer, wiser, (as in "fox") leaders, who really cared nothing for the clans, but cared for everything to 'belong' and 'adapt' to the feudal system of the English society. A King who cared everything for the best land, the fertile land, and pushed the Scots out, ever further out, until the Scots were in the desolate; most undesireable lands; thus forcing the Scots into warring with each other like barbarians for their own land. Many, like Clan Gunn, held their land "by fire and sword". No gift from the King of Scotland.

*Who, we might ask, made them barbarians? Did they have a choice? Was it life or destruction?

The Romans departed to Face Battles in Rome and Beyond.

*When the Romans departed, there were five races living in Scotland, which may be described as follows: The Picts; whose origin has been the subject of bitter discussion with no real conclusion that every scientist agreed to, except they were the earliest proven people in the Highlands, there may have been even more ancient people, before the Picts.

The Picts had occupied most of the land North of the Forth and Clyde; the Celts who were Irish and arrived on the West coast at the beginning of the sixth century had established the Kingdom of Dalriada - in what is now call Argyll. The Britons who had been pressed out of England were settled in Strathclyde; the Attacotti who inhabited Galloway; and the Saxons, who had arrived in the Southeast of Scotland.

*At the same time Christianity was introduced into Scotland, [*first by St. Ninian about A.D. 396 ] and later by St. Columba about A.D. 563. [*St. Ninian was of the old "Church of Culdee", an Irish based Catholic church of Culdee. St Ninian's converts, paved the way for St. Columba to continue to convert most of the people to Christianity and Catholicism. ]

Fergus e, son of Erc, established the Dalriadic (Argyll Area) settlement. He was accompanied by his brothers Lorn and Angus. Later this area was divided among four tribes of the Scots - the (1)Cinel Albran and the (2)Cinel Comgall descended from grandsons of Fergus, the (3)Cinel Lorn, and the (4)Cinel Angus descended from the brother of Fergus. This being the earliest instance of the division of the race into district clans, [*this became general establishment in the Highlands some centuries later. It is perhaps the earliest instance of such a division, and perhaps established some of the earliest clans.]

Soon after the Scots, appeared on the West coast, one who was to exercise great influence on the history of Scotland -- St. Columba. [St. Ninian introduced Christianity into Galloway in the South of Scotland, previous to Columba,] the results of Columba, whose efforts reached so far into the North of Scotland, made Scotland into a Catholic country, as well as all the remainder of Western Europe was at that time.

~~ How the Christian Faith Flourished ~~

The effect of St. Columba were much more of an influence and the results on the country of Scotland than those of his predecessor, St. Ninian. St Columba founded Iona, and the members of the church immediately set to work to Christianize the inhabitants of Scotland occupied by the Picts. The Saint and his missionaries journeyed throughout the country spreading the Gospel where the Druids had exercised complete control, and through time, they extended the fields of their labors to throughout Great Britain and to the Continent.

The Druids whom they succeeded, consisted of three classes -- the (1)Bardi or Poets, the (2)Vates or Priests, and the (3)Deo-Phaisten who acted as the instructors of the principles of religion and of law. [*It is said that they practised the cultivation of memory and that written records were forbidden. Poetry was used to aid the memory and it is easy to imagine that the wonderful feats of the Highland bards in memorizing thousands of lines were a survival of Druiadic training.]

[*An Arch Druid presided over the Druids and exerted and exceeded a power that must have exceeded that of kings and chiefs, in the influence they wielded over the early inhabitants of the country.] This was of course, before the conversion.

~~The Struggle Between the Picts and Scots~~

For following three centuries there was a continual struggle between the Picts and Scots for supremacy, and the latter were assisted, to a considerable extent, by the religious zeal of the missionaries of the Culdee Church in their endeavour to destroy all traces of Druidism.

About the year 836 Alpin the King of the Scots was killed in battle against the Picts and the accession of his son Kenneth MacAlpin "King of Scots and Picts", marked a new era in the history of Scotland. Kenneth MacAlpin's mother was a Pict, so it is reported, and therefore Kenneth understood both races and languages.

There is considerable divergence of opinion on the events of this period. Kenneth's capital was at Dunstaffnage in Argyll, but it was removed to Scone, Perthshire District, where he was crowned in 843 on the Stone of Scone, which has served as coronation stone since.

~~The Norse Element into Scottish History ~~

While the conflict between the Picts and Scots was proceeding, a new element entered into Scottish history in the coming of the Norsemen. In 793 Lindesdfarne and the North-east of England was invaded by the Norsemen and a year later they reached the Western Isles, of the Hebrides. These Sea Raiders were described as of two distinct races by the early writers, (1)the Fingall or fair-headed foreigners were the Norsemen and the(2)Duthgall or dark-haired foreigners were he Danes. This is disputed. Some Historians argue that all Viking raids on England and Scotland were from the Norse.

[*In AD 789, 802, 806 and on other occasions Iona was burned, and the monks were massacred by these Norse Vikings, if we may use this generic word to describe both races. Many historian refer to some raiders as Danes, although incorrectly used.]

In 870 AD 'Olaf the White', the Norse King who had previously had his headquarters in Dublin, destroyed Dunbarton Castle after a siege of four months. We are informed by the Icelandic "Landnamabok" that Olaf's son 'Thorstein the Red' conquered Caithness, Sutherland, Ross and more than half of Alba.

Before the end of the ninth century the Norsemen were masters of the Orkney, Shetland and the Western Isles. The Norse occupation had several setbacks for a period after A.D. 900, they were expelled from the North of Scotland [*although they still held their ascendancy over the Orkneys and the the Western Isles. Meanwhile they had intermarried with the inhabitants of Caithness and and the Western Isles and had become an integral part of Scottish life, thus the Norse influence was to be permanent with much of the Highlands and all of the Islands.]

In 915 the (Norse) Danes occupied the North of England, so at one period or another the greater part of Scotland was either surrounded by or in the hands of the Norsemen. [*Every town in Scotland that has the letters "shire" might have been established by the Norse invaders.] This is disputed. Some stating Shire was used before the Vikings raided.

With periods of varying success the Norse occupation continued until about 1264 when they were finally expelled except from the Hebrides, and Orkney. The Viking names in the Hebrides now, are of Norse descent, but are Scottish. The Vikings intermarried with the Celts and Picts. Tthe Shetlands still consider themselves Norse, and remain loyal to Norway. [Many Vikings still lived in the Hebrides, and the Island-Highlands costal area and their influence can be heard and told by their Norse names and language today. Their occupation had considerable influence on the physical and mental characteristics of the people in the Highland and Islands, as well as the coast of Western Scotland. They married Celts and Picts, Scots (other indigenous people) and became a hodgepodge of very tough and awe inspiring people.]

*Material interjected to make subject more clearly stated.

Nancy MacCorkill, FSA Scot,
Author, Poet, Journalist,
Historian of the Ancient Clans of Scotland

Material source: R. Bain, former Lord Lyon,
Innes of Learney, former Lord Lyon,
The Clans, by R. Beaton
History of G.B., R. Brown
N. MacCorkill's own writings.

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